


The Name of the Game

by ammiehawk



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-02-06 01:17:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12806409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammiehawk/pseuds/ammiehawk
Summary: Sokka receives some disturbing news just as he sets out with the Avatar. Slash meaning m/m.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to all my American fans.

Prologue

 

After the Fire Nation ship left with the Avatar, the villagers of the Southern Water Tribe began setting their small village to rights. The women and children, all that remained of the once proud village, were rather subdued while they worked, but what more could they do, the Avatar had sacrificed himself to protect them.

Meanwhile, down by the shore, the two children of the chief were doing nothing to help with the restoration. The girl, Katara, stood looking out at the ocean, while her elder brother, Sokka, moved behind her.

“We have to go after that ship, Sokka,” Katara said angrily. “Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him.”

“Katara, I…” Sokka began.

“Why can’t you realize he’s on our side,” she cut him off. “If we don’t help him, no one will. I know you don’t like Aang, but we owe him. And…”

“Katara!” he yelled slightly to stop her ranting. “Are you gonna talk all day or are you coming with me?”

He motioned to the canoe he’d been packing. She gasped happily and ran over to him.

“Sokka!” she threw her arms around him in a hug that almost sent both of them into the freezing water.

“Get in,” he motioned to the boat again. “We’re going to save your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my…” she protested.

“Whatever,” he shrugged.

“What do you two think you’re doing?”

An old woman walked up behind them. They both turned and looked guiltily into the weathered face of their grandmother.

“You’ll need these,” she smiled at them as she held out their sleeping bags. “You have a long journey ahead of you.”

The siblings weren’t quite sure what to make of her actions. They shared a look as the old woman moved closer.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had hope,” she continued, “but you brought it back to life, my little Waterbender.” She hugged Katara. “And you, my brave warrior,” she turned to Sokka, who looked a bit sheepish under the praise, “be nice to your sister.” She hugged him too.

“Yeah, okay, Gran,” he hugged her back awkwardly.

“Aang is the Avatar,” GranGran sighed. “He’s the world’s only chance. You both found him for a reason. Now, your destinies are entwined with his.”

They shared another look, that sounded a bit foreboding.

“There’s no way we’re gonna catch a war ship with a canoe,” Katara pointed out, as they all turned to look at it.

Just then, the large white and brown form of the Avatar’s bison crested a nearby hill. He opened his mouth in a friendly roar, as if he’d been listening to their conversation.

“Appa,” Katara cried happily.

“You just _love_ taking me out of my comfort zone, don’t ya?” Sokka grumbled.

“Sokka,” his grandmother put her hand on his arm.

He turned to look at her curiously. He paused though, when he actually took the time to truly see her. She looked old. I mean she was old, but she looked older than she ever had before. And there was a deep seated sadness in her eyes that he’d never recalled seeing before.

“GranGran?” he asked concerned.

“Sokka,” her hand rose to cup his cheek, as tears pooled in her blue-grey eyes. “My brave, brave boy. This came while you were gone,” she pulled a scroll from within her sleeve. “Don’t open it now,” she shook her head as he made to unroll it. “Wait until you are safely away. Just know that your father and I have and will always love you, and we only did what we thought was best, for everyone. And be extremely careful around the Fire Nation, my son. Go. Save the Avatar, and save the world.”

“Okay, GranGran,” he nodded.

With that cryptic goodbye, he tucked the scroll inside his parka and ran after his sister. He scrambled up the hind leg of the bison and settled into the large saddle. It took a bit of finagling, but they finally managed to take to the air and chased after the Fire Nation ship.

When they reached the ship, it was obvious that Aang didn’t really need rescuing but they helped out anyway. After some amazing waterbending on the Avatar’s part, and some questionable techniques on Katara’s, they were back in the air and on their way, headed for the North Pole.

Later that night, after they had stopped and made camp, Sokka pulled off his parka, causing the scroll to tumble to the ground. He frowned as he picked it up, having completely forgotten about it in the excitement of the day. Remembering his grandmother’s words, he warily unrolled it. He inched closer to the fire to better read the fine script.

_To Hakoda, Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe,_

_After careful consideration, we of the Fire Nation have decided to accept your offer of peace._

What?! His mind ground to a screeching halt. His father had offered a peace treaty to the Fire Nation? When had he done this? Wasn’t this the same man who left his family and village three years ago to fight the Fire Nation? He shook his head, trying to stop the swirling questions. He went back to the letter, maybe it held some answers.

_In accordance with your compliance, we expect you to send your son to the Fire Nation, where he will join his betrothed, the crown prince, in service of the Fire Nation Navy._

_Firelord Ozai_

“What the hell?!” he yelled as he tossed the letter away from him, as if that would make the words untrue.

“Sokka?” his sister looked at him curiously from the other side of the fire, where she’d been talking with Aang. “What’s wrong?”

“He sold me!” Sokka said in shock. “He fucking sold me to the Fire Nation like… like a piece of meat!”

“What are you talking about, Sokka?” Katara went over to him, concern etched on her young face.

“Dad…” he motioned vaguely to the discarded letter.

She frowned as she leaned down to pick up the scroll. Her eyes darted over it quickly as she held it up to the light. As she reached the end, she almost dropped it as well.

“But—but—but why would Dad do that?” she shook her head. “There—there has to be some mistake. I mean, it says here you’re betrothed to a prince. You’re both guys, that’s not even possible. Maybe it’s Bato playing a horrible joke.”

“Maybe,” he shook his head.

He didn’t tell her about their grandmother’s final words to him, but he didn’t think she would’ve said that if it was just a joke. But he didn’t have the heart to tell his sister that.

“Well,” Aang said, having taken the scroll from Katara and read through it, “it’s not uncommon in political marriages. Monk Giatso told me lots of stories of arrangements to strengthen cities or countries. It didn’t matter age, or sex, or whether they were both benders or not. It’s all politics, really boring. I usually zoned out after that.”

“Great,” blue eyes rolled in annoyance. “Just what I need. Look, guys, I’m gonna go to sleep. Maybe when I wake up this will all just be a bad dream.”

He went over to Appa and grabbed his sleeping bag. The other two watched him sympathetically as he lay down next to the fire. Once they were sure he was asleep, Katara took the scroll back, rolled it up, and tucked it at the bottom of her bag.

“We won’t mention this ever again,” her clear blue eyes held fire as they bore into the Avatar. “As long as we stay away from the Fire Nation, you’ll both be safe. I won’t let them take my brother from me, too.”


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

Zuko stood at the railing of his ship, watching the harbor come closer and closer as they prepared to make port. As he watched the land get closer, he thought back on the events that led him here. After three long years of searching, he had finally found the Avatar. Only instead of an old man, like he’d been expecting, he had turned out to be just a kid. And somehow, that kid had bested him and his entire crew, with a little help from those Water Tribe peasants.

He took a deep, calming breath. Now was not the time to get worked up about it. He had to keep his wits about him if he was going to navigate this port safely, since it happened to be crawling with Fire Navy ships. He couldn’t let anyone here know that he’d found the Avatar, and subsequently let him slip through his fingers. His honor hinged on him capturing the Avatar, and he couldn’t, wouldn’t, let anyone steal that from him.

When the ship finally docked, he and his uncle disembarked, leaving the crew to see to the repairs. He just hoped that his men knew better than to talk about what happened.

“Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible,” he said as they descended the gangplank. “I don’t want to stay too long and risk losing his trail.”

“You mean the Avatar?” Iroh asked curiously.

“Don’t mention his name on these docks,” he rounded on the old man. “Once word gets out that he’s alive, every Firebender will be out looking for him, and I don’t want anyone getting in the way.”

“Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?”

They both turned, surprised, to the obvious eavesdropper. Coming toward them was a man the banished prince recognized as a captain of the Fire Navy and one of his father’s zealots.

“Captain Zhao,” he crossed his arms over his chest, he’d never liked this man.

“Its Commander now,” he said smugly before bowing to his uncle. “And General Iroh, great hero of our Nation.”

“Retired General,” Iroh returned the bow courteously.

“The Fire Lord’s brother and son are welcome guests anytime,” Zhao said with much sincerity. “What brings you to my harbor?”

“Our ship is being repaired,” the retired general motioned to the damaged vessel as if that explained everything.

“That’s quite a bit of damage,” the Commander sounded concerned.

“Yes,” Zuko replied, looking quickly down at his uncle before meeting the other’s gaze. “You wouldn’t believe what happened. Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened.”

His uncle turned to look at him incredulously. The teen had to force his face into a neutral mask. He enjoyed putting the old man on the spot like that.

“Yes, I will do that,” Iroh looked down, obviously fishing for the best lie to use. “It was incredible.” He then leaned closer and whispered, “What, did we crash or something?”

“Yes,” he glanced down nervously, his uncle was going to give them away. “Right into an Earth Kingdom ship.”

“Really?” Zhao asked dubiously. “You must regale me with all the thrilling details. Join me for a drink?”

“Sorry, but we have to go,” the prince turned to leave.

“Prince Zuko,” his uncle stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, “show Commander Zhao your respect.” He then turned back to the officer, “We would be honored to join you. You have any ginseng tea? It’s my favorite.”

Zuko growled to himself as the two men headed off in the opposite direction. He released his anger in a short burst of flame from his hands before following after them.

“Oh, and Prince Zuko,” Zhao called back over his shoulder, “allow me to congratulate you on your engagement.”

“What?” the scarred teen frowned.

“Did the message not reach you yet?” the Commander taunted. “Your father, the Fire Lord, in his wisdom, has accepted a peace treaty with the Southern Water Tribe. The terms of the treaty involve you marrying the Chief’s heir.”

“I see,” gold eyes narrowed in a scowl.

He wanted to press for more details, but he knew that if he did Zhao would hold the information over his head and somehow find a way to use it against him. He would just have to wait and ask his uncle about it later. Right now, he had to keep his head clear to make sure the Commander found out nothing about the Avatar.

Later, in Zhao’s quarters, they spun an elaborate tale about what happened to their ship. After that, the Commander had gone into great detail about the plans to take over the world. Zuko countered this, but Zhao told him off.

Then the conversation turned to the Avatar. He denied the Avatar’s existence, but apparently his traitorous crew had told Zhao’s men everything.

They had no choice after that but to tell the truth. The conniving Commander wanted to keep them from leaving, at least until he was well on his way in pursuit of the Avatar. Zuko, however, wasn’t going to allow that and challenged the older man to an Agni Kai, a Firebending duel.

The duel took place at sunset, and while his uncle cautioned against it, he wasn’t going to back down, not to Zhao. The fight was intense, but he came out victorious. The Commander tried to pull a cheap shot once his back was turned. However, his uncle intervened and together they headed back to the ship.

Once they were aboard and safely on their way, Zuko called his uncle to his quarters. He also had asked for dinner to be sent as well. Not surprisingly, the two arrived at the same time.

“Uncle,” the teen began once their plates were full, “what do you know of this treaty Zhao spoke of? I know you know something, so tell me.”

“I don’t know anything for sure,” Iroh sighed, rubbing his chin, “but I do know that some six years ago, the leader of the Southern Water Tribe approached your grandfather with a proposal for peace. Your grandfather dismissed it out of hand, but your father must have found it and decided to accept it, because I doubt the Water Tribe would’ve offered a new one.”

“Uncle,” Zuko snapped, frustrated, “what was the proposal?”

The former general took a deep breath, but knew there was no avoiding the issue, “In exchange for stopping the raids on his village, the leader offered his eldest in marriage to a member of the royal family. The offer was meant for my son, Lu Ten, and he was ready to accept, except, as I said, your grandfather refused. He sent them away, but the attacks on the Southern Water Tribe did stop. Of course, that might have had something to do with Lu Ten leaving to join the siege of Ba Sing Se and directing the Fire Lord’s attention there. I thought the treaty had been destroyed. Of course, I was not there for all of this. I received all this information from Lu Ten.” He took a moment to fish something out of the pocket of his robe. “My son carried this with him since the meeting, until the day he died.”

He handed Zuko a small oil painting of a young boy. It was a rather crude portrait, nothing like those done in the Fire Nation, but he supposed for a backwater place like the Southern Water Tribe it was a masterpiece. The boy couldn’t be older than ten when this was made. The first thing that caught his eye was the bright blue of the other’s. It was probably just a painter’s trick as it was one of the only points of color and meant to draw attention. The next thing he noticed was the darker tone of his skin, which was a bit off putting in its difference from what he was used to, but he guessed it suited the boy. Finally, his eyes were drawn to the single strip of dark brown hair in the center of his head, pulled back into a small tuft of a tail. Overall, he wasn’t an unattractive boy, but he was just a child in this picture.

“You said this was made six years ago?” Zuko frowned slightly. “So, he’d be sixteen now?”

“Fifteen,” his uncle shook his head. “He was only nine when he was first offered to the Fire Lord. Lu Ten would’ve married him this year. He would talk about it all the time, when there was down time during the siege. He would always wonder what the boy was like and what type of man he would grow into. He held that boy in about as much fond esteem as he held you.”

Gold eyes lowered to the portrait once more. He remembered Lu Ten, and how his cousin always seemed to give him special attention, like he was equal to Azula in the other’s eyes, maybe even a bit higher. How could this boy receive the same treatment when he didn’t even know him? It was as this thought crossed his mind that something about the picture caught his attention. He recognized this boy from somewhere.

“Wait,” his scowl darkened. “This is that Water Tribe peasant. The one who was with the Avatar.”


End file.
